Camera.



Patented Feb. I8, |902.

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4 (Application led Dec. 13, 1900.1

2 Sheets-Sheet In (N0.Model.)

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' Patented Feb. I8, |902. F. A. WIGGNS.

CAMERA. (Application filed Dec. 13, 1900.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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Unirse Sintes PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. WIGGINS, OF SALEM, OREGON.

CAMERA.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,768, dated February 18, 1902.

Application iilecl December 13, 1900. Serial No. 39,752. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FREDERICK A. WIGGINS,

v a citizen of the United States, residing at Saing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements iu folding photographic cameras; and it consists in a certain peculiar folding camera the novelty, utility, and advantages of which will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the laccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a horizontal central section of my improved camera as it appears when open and ready for use. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the camera, showing the samey as folded or closed. Fig. 3 is asection taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical central section of the camera as it appears when open and ready for use. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section taken in the plane indicated bythe broken line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail section illustrating the connection between the lens-holder and the focusing-lever of my improvements.y Fig. 7 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 7 7 of Fig. 3 and illustrating the roll-carrier and the roll-holder and rolls in the same. Fig. 8 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 8 8 of Fig. 3 and illustrating the same parts as Fig. 7.

. In the said drawings similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the several views, referring towhich- A is the lens-box of myimproved camera, said box being rectangular in form and made up of end walls a, side walls b, and an outer wall or lens-board c. The wall or lens-board c is connected to the side walls b and end walls a, as best shown in Fig. l, in such manner as to enable it to be moved vertically with reference to the walls o, b to raise or lower the lens-holder. Said wall or lens-board c has an opening d at its center to receive a rectilinearlymovable lens-holder e, which carriesftwo lenses f and has its inner end connected to the inner edges of the walls of the lens-box by a bellows f', as illustrated.

Dis the case of the camera. This case, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises metallic cheek-pieces a', the upper 55 one of which has a slot b', coincidentwith a slot c', in the upper end wall of the lens-box A-that is to say, arranged in line with said slot c', as best shown in Fig. 4i. The case also comprises box-shaped sections d d2, pref- 6o erably of wood, a bellows e', interposed between'and connecting the edges of the rear and upper and lower walls of the box-shaped sections, and pieces of cloth or other suitable iiexible material f2, interposed between and 65 connecting the cheek-pieces a', the forward ends of the upper andlower walls of .the boxshaped sections, and the bellows e. The outer or face walls of the box-shaped sections of the. case are pivotally connected to the 7o cheek-pieces a' after the manner best shown -in Fig. 5, and the lens-box A is arranged and adapted to move out between said cheekpieces and the outer walls of the sections olfd2.

In order to project the lens-box when the 7 5 case D is opened and draw said box into the case when the latter is folded or closed, the toggle-levers E, one of which is clearly shown in Fig. 1, are provided. The said toggle-levers have the outer ends of their members 8o pivotally connected `to the lower and upper walls of the sections d d2 and the inner ends `thereof pivotally connected to thrust-bars F, which in turn are connected to the end walls of the lens-box, whereby when the case D is 8 5 opened the lens-box will be thrust forward therefrom, as shown in Fig. 1, and when said case is closed the lens-box will be drawn rearwardly into the same until the wall c of said lens-box bears against the forward ends of the 9o outer Walls of the box-shaped sections, as shown inFig. 2.

Gr G are circular straps ixedly connected' at one end to the upper and lower walls of the section d and having lateral lugs g adjacent v9 5 totheir opposite ends, and Gr Gr' are complementary curved straps connected at their f outer ends to the upper and lower walls of the section d2 and provided with curvilinear slots These straps Gr Gr', connected in the manner described, do not interfere with the free opening and closing of the case, and yet are calculated to eectuallyprevent twisting or eo-v h, receiving the lugs of the stra s Gr. `10o s s 9 P centric motion of the case-that is to say, lateral motion of the sections d d2 with respect to each other incident to the opening of the ease and after the case is opened.

His the focusing-lever of my improved camera. This lever is flexibly connected to the lower end wall of the lens-box A, extends through the slot o' in the upper end wall thereof, and is provided intermediate of its ends with a yoke I,which surrounds thelens-holder and is interposed between projections J thereon. Graduated focusing-scales are provided on the uppercheek-piece a and the upper end Wall of the lens-box in order to enable the photographer to readily secure the desired focus. The lever I-I also affords a convenient medium for adjusting the lens-holder.

K is the roll-carrier or box of the camera. This box or tray is mounted to swing on a pintle L, arranged in the lower and upper walls of the case-section d and provided at its upper end with a linger-piece lll and also provided within the tray or box with a pinion N. In its lower wall the box or tray K is provided with recesses P, and in its back wall ithas a door Q, which is hinged and designed to be normally held in a closed position by a suitable fastener and is provided at its middle with a ruby glass, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 3.

Fulcrumed at the apices of their angles on the upper and lower walls of the carrier or box K are bell-crank levers R. (Best shown in Figs. 1 and 3.) To these levers or to the projections of the box on which they are fnlcrumed are loosely connected the inner ends of springs S, the outer ends of which are coiled about projections T on the case-section d2 and connected to said case-section. The short arms of the levers when the camera is opened project into the bellows e sufiiciently far to enable the operator to press upon the same, and thereby start the carrier or box in its swinging movement toward the case-section d precedent to closing the camera. The levers in conjunction with their springs also serve to normally hold the carrier or box K in the position shown in Fig. l and against casual movement from such position.

U is a roll-holder which is designed to be placed in and removed from the carrier or box K through the door V, provided -iu the outer wall of the case-section d2. The said roll-holder, for the sake of lightness and strength, is preferably made of aluminium and comprises a back wall W, a side wall X, and ears Y, the latter being designed to seat in the recesses P in the lower Wall of the carrieror box K after the manner best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 8. The wall X and ears Y of the roll-holder are provided with inwardlydirected journals Z, aud the wall X is also provided with a hinged section A, in which isjonrnaledashortshaftB. Thisshortshaft B' has a portion of angular form in cross-section, which extends inwardly from the hinged section A and is provided at the outside of the hinged section or above the same with a ratchet C', designed to be engaged bya pawl D', and a gear E', which latter is interineshed with the pinion N on the pintle or shaft L.

F is a film-roll having sockets in its ends to receive lugs or journals Z of the roll-holder, and II is a roll having a socket in one end to receive a lug-journal Z of the holder and a socket of angular form in cross-section in its opposite end to receive the angular portion of the short shaft B in the section A of the roll-holder. The roll F may be readily sprung between the wall X and one ear Y of the rollholder, andthe roll II' may likewise be readily placed between one ear Y and the section A of the roll-holder, the hinged connection of. said section A obviously facilitatingthe placing of the roll H in the holder. lVhen the roll-holder is placed in the box or carrier K through'the door Y in the case-section cl2 and the door Q of the carrier or box K, the gear E is intermeshed with the pinion N, and consequently it will be seen that by turning the shaft L through the medium of its iingerpiece M the film may be Wound off roll F and on roll I'Il as used, the pawl D', in conjunction with ratchet C', operating to prevent retrograde movement of and keep the film taut. A small door I', carried by the door Y, enables the operator to perceive the amount of film that has been used without the necessity of opening said door V. A suitable fastener J, which comprises members on the case-sections d di is preferably provided in order to hold said case-sections together when the camera is closed.

I have entered into a specific description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts of my improved camera in order t0 impart a full, clear, and exact understanding ot' the same. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a camera, a case comprising boxshaped sections adapted to be swung apart, and flexible material connecting said sections, a holder for rolls of film arranged in the case and connected in a hinged manner to one of the box-shaped sections thereof, and a spring interposed between the holder and the other box-shaped section, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a folding camera, a ease comprising cheek-pieces, box-shaped sections connected in a hinged manner to the cheek-pieces and adapted to be swung apart, and flexible material connecting the cheek-pieces and the boxshaped sections; in combination with a lensbox arranged and adapted to move between the cheek-pieces and the forward ends of the box-shaped sections, means intermediate of the box-shaped sections and the lens-box for ICO IIO

Gear/es kin a hinged manner to the cheek-pieces, flexible material connecting the cheek-pieces and the box-shaped sections, and a bellows interposed between the box-shaped sectionsyin combination with a lens-box, arrangedV and adapted to move between the cheek-pieces and the forward ends ofthe box-shaped sections, toggle-levers interposed between and connected to the box-shaped sections', thrustrods interposed between and connected to the toggle-levers and the lens-box, and straps G G' connected to thebox-shapedsections, the' strapsG having curvilinear Vslots receiving projections on the straps G.

4. In a camera,a case comprising box-shaped sections adapted to be sw ung apart, abellows connecting -said sections together, a carrier for rolls of film arranged in the case and connected ina-hinged manner to one of thebo'xshaped sections thereof, bell-crank levers fulcrumed at the apices of their angles on the carrier, and at their outer ends on the casesection opposite to that to which the carrier is connected in a hinged-manner, and a spring or springs interposed between-and connectedto the fulcrums of the levers.

5.- In a camera,the combination with a case comprising sections adapted to be swung apart and a bellows connecting said sections together; in combination with a shaft journaled in one ofthe case-sections and having a pinion, a carrier mounted to swing on said shaft, a roll-holder arranged in the carrier and having lug-journals, a short shaft journaled in the roll-holder, and having a portion of angular form in cross-section, agear lon said short shaft intermeshed with the pinion, a ratchet on the short shaft arranged to be engaged by a pawl on the holder, and iilmrolls adapted to be arranged in the holder andy engaged by the lug-journals and'short shaft thereof, substantially as specified.

6. In a camera, the combinationwith a case comprising sections adapted to beswung apart, and a bellows connecting said sections together; ofa shaft journaled in one of the case-sections and having a pinion, a'carrier mounted to swing on said shaft, aroll-holder removably :arranged inthe. carrier and 'havinglug-journals and alsohaving ahinged section, a short shaft j ournaled in said hinged section, land havinga portion of angular'form in cross-section, a gear on said short shaftl intermeshedwith the pinion, a ratchet on the short shaftarranged to be engaged bya pawl on the holder, and lm-rolls adaptedto be removably arranged in the holder, and engaged -by'thelug-'journals and short shaft thereof, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set y my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.v i

FREDERICK A. WIGGINS v Witnesses y JOHN Moin,

A. HUMPHREYS. 

